Passenger-car.



P. N. JONES.

PASSENGER CAR.

APPLICATION rum) JULY 20, 1011.

Patented May 13, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

P. N. JONES.

I PASSENGER OAR.

APPLIOATION IILHD JULY 20, 1911. 1,06 1,750. Patented May 13, 1913.

4 SHEETS-BEEBT WNW P. N. JONES.

PASSENGER DAR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 20, 1911.

Patented May 13, 1913.

4 sums-sums.

VII/ll WITNESSES P. N. JONES. PASSENGER GAB. APPLICATION FILED JULY 20, 1911.

PatentedMay 13, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4- R O T N E V N WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATEN T OFFICE.

PEARL N. JONES, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

PASSENGER-CAR.

Specification of Letters 1% tent.

Application filed July 20, 1911.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, PEARL N. Jones, of Pittsburgh, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful improvement in Passenger-Cars, of which the following is a full, clear. and exact descrip tion, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formlng part of this specification, in which a Figure 1 is a sectional plan view of one form of passenger car embodying my invention the section being taken above the upper edges of the car doors; Fig. 2 is a side view of the same; Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of one end portion of the car shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a sectional plan showing one of the rear steps and the rear doors on a larger scale the section being taken through the lower portion of one pair of the doors; and Fig. 5 is a detail view illustrating one of the doors in its open position. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section taken through the upper portion of the doors, one pair of the doors being shown fully'closed and the other pair fully open; and Figs. 7 and 8 are detail sectional views, Fig. 7 being a section through the lower portion of one door in its closed position; and Fig. 8 being a section through the same door in its open position. Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing a modification.

My invention has relation to passenger cars, and more particularly to cars which are adapted for use on the streets of cities and towns and commonly known as street railway cars.

The mainobject of my invention is to provide a car the platforms and floors of which can be reached from the street level by a single step.

A further object of my invention is t provide a car of this charactpr with a novel arrangement of the step and of the doors operating in connection therewith, whereby the doors and step are entirely within the side lines of the car.

A still further object of my invention is to provide means whereby a door of increased width can be employed in'connection with the single step without interference with the floor or platform of the car.

The nature of my invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which I have shown my invention as applied to a motor-driven passenger car, and which will now be described, it being premised, however, that certain fea- Patented May 13, 1913. Serial No. 639,538.

to trailer cars, and that various changes may,

be made in the construction and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

In these drawings, the numeral 9 designates the car floor, which is preferably continuous from one end of the car to the other, including the end plat-forms, and which is preferably entirely free from any internal cross-partitions or bulk heads.

3 designates the front end of the car, 4 the rear end, and 5 the sides.

The car may be provided with any suitable interior arrangement of seats 6.

In order to provide a car whose platform and floors can be reached by a single step, I not only provide the feature of the continuous floor and platform level above described, but the car is also mounted'upon.

These trucks maybe tively small wheels and compact motors in the form shown, I am not only able to bring the floor and platforms much nearer the street level than has, heretofore been the practice, but I also decrease very largely the weight of the car and its equipment. The intermediate step portion is at a level one step above the ground and inside the side lines of the car; and there is not over one step from the intermediate step portion to the car floor pr'o er. By the use of special trucks (and by t e words special trucks I mean any arrangement of the trucks including its wheels which will bring the car floor-sufficiently low), in connection with the lowering of the intermediate step portion to one step above the ground level, I bring the entering passengers within the car with only one step, and thereafter there is not more than one step to the car flooritself.

In the particular car illustrated, I have shown two steps 9 and 10 at the rear end portion of the car at opposite sides, and two steps 11 and 12 at the front end portion of the car and at opposite sides thereof. Ordinarily the s eps 10 and 12 will not be used, and folding or removable seats 13 may be provided over these steps The step 9 is shown as of a" sufiicient length to provide for both entrance and exit doors, the entrance doors being marked 14 and the exit doors 15. The main exit, however, is at the/front end.

of the'car by the step 11 and doorlti, The .doors 14 and 15- are preferablyof the character and arrangement,'land have operating mechanism 17 such as'shownzm my'Patents 964,269 of July 12th,. i91o, and 966,335 of. August 2nd, 1910,

although other approved door mechanism may, be used. For a dein igs. 3 and 6, reference may be had to my said 'atents,

arranged to' have a combined swinging and Sliding perpendicular to their closed positions,: and whereby the doors in bothopening andclosedp'os'itions are substantially always" within the "side lines of the car.

' To providethe steps 9, and 12, the

floor] or platform is cut away to form pockets at the bottom of which the step is located; and in order to properlyv sup ort and carry these steps theside sills 1-8-0 the car are depressed underneath the steps in the-manner shown in Fig, 2.; In this man- Mr I am enabled to employ continuous side sills, and-at'the same time provide a strong and secure construction and azstep support which is evidently adapted" to thesin'glestep scheme of my invention.

' In order to employ somewhat wider doors than those shown in my patents above re ferred to, I cut away the one lower corner portion of each door, as shown at 19 in Figs. 2 and 1 and as also shown in Figs. 7 and 8,

this cut-away portion being at the corner of the'door which is innermostwhen the door is in its open position. The cutaway por- .tion' is of. the proper height so that when the door is opened it wil1,-by reason of 'suchcutaway portion, swingfreely over the car-floor they are moved to-"closed position." When or platform, as showniin Fig. 5, a portion of the door overhanging the platform. .In

the doors are opened, the flaps assume file difierent positions ,shown in dotted lines; in Fig; 7 until they finally lie back against the-- inner side of the door, as-sh'own in fulljli'lies in'Fig; 8.. Figs. '7 and; 8 also show. 'difierent I ri tion of the actuating mechanism shown.

As will 'appear by referenceto saldp'a'tents, these doors extend down-l wardly below '-t he' car floor'or platform to, the outer edge portion'oi the step, and are movement in openmg'.and closing,- .the doors assuming an 'edgewiseposition j when opened substantially positions assumedhy. the doors in their com bined swinging and sliding opening and closing movements.

The door 16 can ed to slide back into a. pocket 22 in the side wall of the car.

of the car as shown, they may be at the central portion of the car, as in my Patent No. 962,224 offJune21st, 1910. In this case the central portion of the side sillof the car end framing will be bent downwardly underner asshown for the end steps in Fig. 2. This is shown'in Fig. 9. v

The advantagesof providing a car which can be entered by '-a single step in the manner'herein described, willhe apparent. The cars can be loaded. andunloaded very' much more rapidly, which is an important feature in modern street car tra'fiic conditions. The

the provision of a motor-driven c'ar having a single; step and low trucks greatly dement.

y aslapplied to thefloor, I mean -to say that there is no .stepin the length of this floor actly the same level.

Iclaim:

1. A passenger car having a step'and a combined swinging and sliding ,door arranged 'to close over theg'outer edge of the when opened, the door having, a portion to 'opened; substantially as described;

vided with a epressed portion or pocket, a step. therein, and a' swinging andisliding away scribed.

' vided with a'depres's'edportion or pocket, at step -therein, "ands; swinging and sliding door havin a -corner portion thereof cut away,'..toget er-with means for coveringthe closedii substantially as described,

4. A" assenger 'car having its floor pro step, therein, and: a.' swinging. and sliding together fwitha spring actuated flap for; covering .the ';11t -'a'way corner portion; 'substantially'asdescribed.

-- 5.1"A passenger car. havmgastep', and a be a sliding doo'r,,mount Instead of, arranging the doors at the ends neath the central side stepin the same man creases the weight of the car and its equips step and to assume a position atsubstantially right angles "to its closed position v2. A passenger. car havingit's floor prodoor having a corner portionthereof cutto clearthe step; substantially as dedoor having a corner portion thereof cut (1561' inclosingwsaid step when. closed, 'the' door heinggv der than the-step andhaving .single step when used is much more conven- 'lent, especially for women and children, and

the word continuous in my claims,

from one end to the other and not neces .sarilythat all parts ofthe floor are at ex-- 3. A passenger car having its floorpro- I v cut-away,eorner'portlon when thedoor is ividedcwith a depressed. portion or pocket, a."

10a "overhang the car floor or platform when 1 a corner portion cut away to permit it to move inwardly over the step when opened; substantially as described.

6. A passenger car having a step, and a door inclosing said step when closed, the door being wider than the step and having a corner portion cut away to'permit it to move inwardly over the step when opened, together with means for closing said cutaway portion Whenthe door is closed; substantially as described.

7. A passenger car having an inclosed body extending from end to end of the car, special low swiveled trucks beneath the end portions of the ear body and its floor, said car body extending beyond the trucks and having a side door opening leading directly into the car body, the body portion having a dropped frame portion extending below said opening, a door for closing said opening and a step port-ion Within the car body at the door opening, the said low trucks and the drop portion of the frame cooperating to bring said step portion only one step above the level of the track and the car floor not more than the height of one step above said step portion; substantially as described. 8. A passenger car having an inclosed body extending from end to end of the car, special low swiveled trucks beneath the end portions of the car body and its'fioor, said car body extending beyond the trucks and having entrance and exit door openings side by side on the same side of the car and lead ing directly into the car body, the body portion having a dropped frame portion extending below said entrance and exit openings, and a step portion Within the car body at said openings, the said low trucks and the drop portion of the frame cooperating to bring said step portion only one step above the level of the track and the car floornot more than the height of one step above the step portion; substantially as de scribed: V

9. A passenger car having an inclosed body extending from end'to end of the car, special low swiveled trucks beneath the end portions of the car body and its floor, motors for said trucks, said car body extending beyond the trucks and having a side door. opening leading directly into the car body, the body portion having a dropped frame portion extending below said opening, a door for closing said opening and a step portion Within the car body at the door opening, the said low triicks and the drop portion of the frame coijperating to bring said step portion only one step above thelevel of the track and the car floor not more than the height of one step above said step portion; substantially as described.

10. A passenger car having an inclosed.

openings, and a body extending from end to end of the car, special low swiveled trucks beneath the end portions of the car-body and its floor, said car body extending beyond the trucks and having a side door opening leading directly into the car body, the body portion having a dropped frame portion extending below. said opening, a door for closing said opening, operating mechanism for said door having a distant control located in the entrance portion of the car, and a step portion Within the car body at the door opening, the said low trucks and the drop portion of the frame coiiperating to bring said step portion only one step above the level of thetrack and the car floor not more than the height of one step above said stepportion; substantially as described.

11. A passenger car havingan inclosed body extending from end to end of the car, special low swiveled trucksbeneath the end portions of the car body and its floor, said car body. extending beyondthe trucks and having entrance and exit door openings side by side on the same side of the car and leading directly into the car body, a postb'etween said openings, doors for said openings, operating mechanism for said doors, the body portion of the car havlng a dropped frame portion extending below the entrance and exit door openings and a step portionwithin the car body at the door openings, the said low trucks and the drop "portion of the frame cooperating to bring said step only one step above the level of the track and the car floor not more than the height of one step above the step portion; substantially as described.

12; A passenger car having an inclosed body extending from end to end of the car, special low swiveled trucks beneath the end portions of the car body and its floor, said car body extending beyond the trucks and having entrance and exit door openin s side by side on the same side of the car an leadingdirectly into the car body, the body portion having a dropped frame portion extending below step portion within the car body at said openings, the said low trucks and the drop portion of the frame cooperating to bring said step portion only one step above the level of the track and the portion of the car floor adjacent to the step portion not more than the height of one step above the step portion; substantially as described. I

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set I my hand.

PEARL N. JONES. Witnesses:

Geo. B. BLnMINo, GEO. H. PARMELEE.

. Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents ach, by addressing the Commissioner of Baton. Washington, D. C. 

